Accuracy of Timeshare Ratings in RCI and Interval International

Interval International’s Member Ratings

If you have every checked into a timeshare and been disappointed, then read on. I’ve found that sometimes the accuracy timeshare ratings in RCI and Interval International to be quite inaccurate. Timeshare exchangers should use the considerable resources of the internet and social media to dig deeper before exchanging their timeshare.

I started this post to be a review of a resort I was considering exchanging to but as I dug into it I ended up finding some pretty negative experiences. I became reluctant to recommend it.

So I changed the intent of this article from reviewing what I thought was a great resort to checking the accuracy of timeshare ratings in RCI and Interval International’s.

RCI’s Member Ratings

Since this isn’t my first rodeo with RCI and II, I’ve suspected for a long time that both companies may be posting more of the good comments than the bad but I have no solid proof to that effect. Especially if the resort is one of the major players in the industry such as Diamond, Marriott, Hyatt…etc.

Before I commit to an exchange I always read reviews in Trip Advisor, Expedia and other sites to help me determine accuracy ratings. Since even the finest resorts can get some very negative comments from hard to please customers, I’ve learned to read both of the good and bad comments critically in making my assessment. I pretty much throw out the very best and worst comments and average out the rest.

In the process I’ve discovered that a timeshare owner staying at a resort they’ve exchanged into will often give a higher rating than a non-timeshare guest that is paying a nightly rate to be there.

3 Reasons That Affect the Accuracy of Timeshare Ratings:

First, unless you own a high end timeshare like Hyatt, Four Seasons, Starwood or Marriott, many, if not most timeshare owners have come to understand and not expect the services and amenities of a high end hotel chain. They give those things up in return for a more spacious and better equipped condo. So, timeshare owners are more likely to give a higher rating.

Second, a paying guest at a timeshare resort expects just the opposite. In other words, they expect the same experience as if they were staying at a hotel. They don’t understand, or necessarily care, that the services and maintenance of the resort they are staying at is funded by a maintenance fee paid by the owners.

A number of resorts, will have owners that have stopped paying their fees and/or vote not to raise maintenance fees during the annual HOA meeting. This one-two punch makes it very difficult for some resorts to keep the quality up. The paying customer is thus more likely to give a lower rating.

Third, I suspect that the best rooms get assigned to the resort’s timeshare owners first, exchangers second and paying guests last. The resort manager wants to keep the owners happy so they will continue to use the resort and pay their maintenance fees. He wants to keep exchangers happy to get a higher rating in RCI or Interval International. That leaves the paying guest or renter. They are often times paying a very low nightly rate and don’t constitute the bulk of the business, hence their position in the pecking order.

So, make sure to do a little homework on the internet and social media instead of relying solely on the accuracy of timeshare ratings in RCI and Interval International to get a great exchange.

A good start to increasing your chances of getting a great exchange with RCI or Interval International is to make sure to download your FREE Timeshare Exchange Checklist. You’ll get 7 must do tips that that you can easily implement now because the longer you wait to do things in the timeshare world the less chance you have of getting what you want.